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A PLEA 






FOR 



THE PRINCETON BATTLE MONUMENT 



I!Y 



HENRY CLAY CAMERON 



Vtce-Frf.sident of the Association 



12J^'63 






THE PRINCETON BATTLE MONUMENT. 



Dr. H. C. Canieron, the Vice-President 
of the Princeton Battle Monument Asso- 
ciation, who founded the Association and 
who has been connected with every move- 
ment to promote its success, has informed 
the Pkess that his correspondence from 
Washington and elsewhere encourages the 
hope that the Bill now before the House of 
Representatives appropriating $30,000 for 
the erection of the Monument will be passed 
at this session of Congress. 

At his request Assemblyman Gulick pre- 
sented the Bill to the New Jersey Legisla- 
ture and Senator Hutchinson attended to it 
in the Senate. Governor Murphy and 
President Francis favored the Bill and Dr. 
Cameron repeatedly visited the Legislature, 
and suggested that it would reflect great 
credit upon the State and impress Congress 
favorably if the Bill could be passed unani- 
mously by the Senate. This was accord- 
ingly done and $lo,000 were appropriated 
by the State. 

The Hon. John J. Gardner, our Repre- 
sentative in Congress, has repeatedly pre- 
sented the Bill asking for $30,000 from the 
National Government for the Monument. 
It has in like manner been presented by 
one of the New Jersey Senators, in the last 
instance by Senator Kean, and has always 
been passed unanimously by the Senate. 



The following extract from Mr. Gard- 
ner's letter to Dr. Cameron shows the pre- 
cise status of the Bill : 

" Near the close of the last session the 
House Committee on Library reported my 
Princeton Battle Monument Bill ; on the 
same day the Senate passed identically the 
same Bill ; when it came to the House, I 
had it held on the Speaker's table. Techni- 
cally this means only that the matter can 
be taken up and acted upon without going 
to a Committee." Other formalities are re- 
quired, but Mr. Gardner, while not ab- 
solutely sure, entertains the hope of success. 
In view of the present condition of the mat- 
ter Dr. Cameron suggests that every alum- 
nus of Princeton request his Representative 
in Congress to vote for this Bill. 

The amount desired for the monument is 
$60,000, contributed as follows, $30,000 by 
the National Government, $15,000 by the 
State of New Jersey, and $15,000 to be 
raised by the Association. Of this last 
amount about one half has been subscribed 
or promised. There will be no difficulty in 
raising this amount when Congress passes 
the Bill, as it is necessary to secure the ap- 
priations. 



THE PRINCETON BATTLE MONUMENT— ITS SITE AND 
ITS CHARACTER. 



As I suggested the formation of the 
Princeton Battle Monument Asssociation, 
made and paid the first sub?cription, pre- 
pared the bills and had them presented to 
the Legislature of New Jersey and to Con- 
gress, I trust I shall be pardoned for pub- 
lishing my views as to the site and kind of 
monument which were not only contem- 
plated but actually formed at the inception 
of the enterprise. One evening I met Mr. 
John F. Hageman, Sr. , on Mercer street 
and pointing to the corner formed by 
Nassau and Mercer streets, I said " there 
is the place for the Princeton Battle 
Monument." After some conversation 
we agreed to call a meeting of the citi- 
zens of Princeton to consider the matter. As 
I had proposed the matter he wished me to 
be chairman if a meeting was called. I 
declined, however, and insisted that as the 
older citizen he was the proper person to 
preside, but agreed to present the matter at 
the meeting, which was called through the 
Princeton Press, of which I think he was 
then an editor. 

A large meeting v^as held in the Nassau 
Hotel ; upon my nomination Mr. .Tohn F. 
Hageman, Sr., was elected to preside, and 
at his request I presented the subject to the 
meeting. The proposition was received with 
great favor. The Association was organized 
on the 110th Anniversary of the Battle of 
Princeton, Jan. 3, 1887, and subsequently in- 



corporated, when the following officers were 
elected: Governor Eobert S. Green, Presi- 
dent ; Henry C. Cameron, Vice-president ; 
Bayard Stockton, Secretary, and Crowell 
Marsh, Treasurer. Subscriptions were ob- 
tained and had these been made payable (as 
I advocated) when five thousand dollars 
($5,000) were subscribed there would have 
been no difficulty or hesitation in reference 
to the site. 

History and Providence point out the 
Site, near the spot where the last shot was 
fired from the large cannon which is now 
planted in the University Campus, in rear 
of Nassau Hall. None knows its history 
previous to the battle of Princeton ; its sub- 
sequent history has been very fully written 
by myself from information received from 
witnesses whose testimony ran back for 
nearly a century. 

The kind of monument originally con- 
templated was a tall circular shaft resting 
upon a square base and terminating with a 
square cap; the material to be of granite 
of a light color. 

The shaft was to be surmounted by a 
bronze statue of Washington in Continen- 
tal uniform, his right hand grasping a 
sword pointing to the battle field. It was to 
face Nassau street, with the head turned 
slightly to the right as if looking toward 
Nassau Hall, where Washington met the 
Continental Congress, and whence was 



issued the Proclamation of Peace with 
Great Britain. 

In completion oftheplanof the monument 
I suggest the following bas-reliefs for the 
four sides of the base : 

1. General Mercer's refusal to surrender. 

2. General Washington turning defeat 
into victory. 

3. Nassau Hall (where the battle ended) 
and the President's House. These should 
be represented as they were, not with the 
changes since made. 

4. Thomas Clark's (now Mr. Hale's) House 
and the Quaker Meeting House. 

These reliefs, would admirably represent 
the Battle, the stirring events, places and 
buildings. 

At the base it was intended to have three 
other bronze statues on granite bases repre- 
senting : 

1. President John Witherspoon, D.D., 
signer of the Declaration of Independence 
and minister of the Gospel, wearing the 
Geneva gown and bands. This statue was 
to face Nassau street as if looking toward 
the President's house and Nassau Hall. 

2. Richard Stockton, lawyer and signer 
of the Declaeation of Independence, wear- 
ing the revolutionary costume and looking 
down Stockton street toward Morven, his 
residence. 

3. General Hugh Mercer in Continental 
uniform and looking down Mercer street 
toward the battle field and the house in 
which be died. 



The fourth or north side of the base was 
to be reserved for the door which was to 
give entrance to the monument, to the top 
of which winding stairs were to lead so that 
visitors might view from that point the 
Battle Pield, Nassau Hall and Morven. 
This was the conception that I wished to 
see realized. 

The monument and statue of Washing- 
ton I thought would cost sixty thousand 
dollars ($60,000), $30,000 from the National 
government, $15,000 from the State and 
$15,000 from the individual subscriptions of 
citizens of New Jersey and Alumni of 
Princeton. 

The money for the other three statues I 
thought could be raised in the following 
manner from members of the three learned 
professions who are graduates of the College 
(now University) and the Theological 
Seminary, or are residents of New Jersey. 

1. Let all ministers contribute to the 
statue of Witherspoon, the minister. 

2. Let all the lawyers and holders of pub- 
lic office (legislative or otherwise) contri- 
bute to the statue of Stockton, the lawyer. 

3. Let all the physicians contribute to 
the statue of Mercer, who was a physician 
as well as a soldier. 

With the exception of this last method 
of raising funds from special classes or pro- 
fessions for the three statues this arti- 
cle is a simple statement of the views 
■which I have held and advocated from the 
beginning in reference to the Princeton 
Battle Monument, its Sileand its Character. 



NATIONAL AND STATE ACTION AS TO BATTLE MONUMENTS. 



The Continental Congress, in response to 
" An address of the Governors and Masters 
of the College of [New Jersey] presented 
July 2, 1783, 

Resolved, That the President inform the 
Governors and Masters of the College that 
Congress entertains a proper sense of their 
obliging offer, and accept the use of such 
parts of the College as may be necssary for 
their session, and for the officers attending 
them during their stay at Princeton. 

Congress adjourned accordingly and met 
in Nassau Hall. 

On Thursday, August 7, 1783, Congress 
took the following action : 

On motion of Mr. A. Lee, seconded by 
Mr. Bland, Resolved (unanimously, ten 
states being present) that an equestrian stat- 
ue of General Washington be erected at the 
place where the residence of Congress shall 
be established. 

Mr. A. Lee, Mr. Elsworth and Mr. Mif- 
flin, appointed to prepare a plan of an 
equestrian statue of the Commander-in- 
Chief. 

Resolved, That the statue be bronze : 
The General to be represented in a Roman 
dress, holding a truncheon in his right 
hand, and his head encircled with a laurel 
wreath. The statue to be supported by a 
marble pedestal, on which are to be repre- 
sented in basso-relievo, the following prin- 
cipal events of the war in which General 
Washington commanded in person, viz : 
The evacuation of Boston — the capture of 
Hessians at Trenton — the battle of Prince- 
ton — the action of Monmouth, and the 
surrender of York. On the upper part of 



the front of the pedestal, to be engraved 
the following : The United States in Con- 
gress assembled, order this statue to bo 
erected in the year of our Lord 1783, in 
honor of George Washington, the illus- 
trious Commander-in-Chief of the armies 
of the United States of America, during 
the war which vindicated and secured their 
liberty, sovereignty and independence. 

Resolved, That a statue conformable to 
the above plan, be executed by the best 
artist in Europe, under the superintendence 
of the Minister of the United States at the 
Court of Versailles ; and that the money to 
defray the expense of the same, be furnish- 
ed from the Treasury of the United States. 

Resolved, That the Secretary of Congress 
transmit to the Minister of the United 
States at the Court of Versailles, the best 
resemblance of General Washington that 
can be procured, for the purpose of having 
the above statue erected ; together with the 
fittest description of the events, which are 
to be the subject of the basso relievo. 

This idea was never carried out. Subse- 
quently Mr. Houdon, a distinguished 
French sculptor, was sent to the United 
States by Dr. Franklin and Mr. Jefferson. 
He spent two weeks at Mount Vernon and 
as the result of his studies produced for the 
Legislature of Virginia the beautiful 
statue of Washington now so carefully 
guarded in the State Capitol at Richmond. 

Washington died before the admirable 
plan could be carried out at Washington 
where the permanent seat of Government 
was fixed. 

Instead of a single monument Congress 
subsequently determined to erect or assist 



in erecting a monument i\t the site of Ciich 
important battle. 

Boston had erected the Bunker Hill 
monument and did not ask for another. 

The movement for the monument at 
Trenton began in 1848, The first charter 
for the Trenton Battle Monument Associn- 
tion was obtained in 1844, and a second one 
in 1884. 

The Legislature of New Jersey appro- 
priated 116,000 in 1887, the Congress of 
the United States appropriated $30,000 in 
1898, and the citizens of New Jersey con- 
tributed 115,000, completing the amount 
requested. 

The corner stone was laid December 26th, 
1891, the one hundred and fifteenth anniver 
sary of the liattle. The moiuiment was 
dedicated October 19th, 1893. 

General William S. Stryker deserves the 
great honor of having secured the erection 
of this beautiful monument. 

The Monmouth Monument Association 
was formed in 1846. But it was not until 
1877 that the association was thoroughly 
organized. It was incorporated in 1878, 
and the corner stone was laid June 28th, 
1878. In 1881, the State appropriated 



$10,000, the Congress of the United States 
appropriated $20,000, and the association 
raised $10,000. To (iov. Joel Parker is due 
the credit of completing this fine monument. 
It was unveiled November 13, 1884. 

Thus to each of these monuments the 
National Government contributed one-half 
of the expense. 

The magnificent monument at Yorktown, 
Va., in commemoration ot the surrender at 
York was erected wholly by the National 
Government at a cost of $200,000. 

From this sketch it will be seen that every 
great battle of the Revolution except that 
of Princeton has been honored by the Na- 
tional Government. This battle was the 
crisis of the Pvevolution. Had it been lost the 
cause of Liberty and Independence would 
liave been lost. Hence this appeal to Con- 
o-ress for the appropriation of $30,000, that 
the idea of the Continental Congress may 
be fully carried out. 

The State of New Jersey has appropriated 
$15,000, and the people of New Jersey and 
friends of Princeton will contribute the 
remaining $15,000 of which a con.siderable 
portion has been subscribed. > 



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